Harivamsha MahA PurANam - bhaviShya Parva
    atha tryadhikashatatamo.adhyAyaH
    vaishampAyanaM prati janamejayaprashnaH
    harivamsha in the mahAbharata - bhaviShyaparva
    Lesson 103 - janamejaya's query to vaishampAyana
janamejaya uvAcha
bhUya eva dvijashreShTa sha~NkhachakragadAbhR^itaH |
charitaM shrotumichChAmi vistareNa tapodhana ||3-103-1
janamejaya said:
O the best among the twice borns! (O vaishampAyana!) O the one with the wealth of penance! I wish to hear the history of the one who holds the conch, chakra and the mace (viShNu), again, in detail.
na hi te tR^iptirastIha shR^iNvataH kaishavIM kathAm |
ko nu nAma harerviShNordevadevasya chakriNaH ||3-103-2
shR^iNvaMstathA ramanvApi tR^iptiM yAti divAnisham |
I am not yet satisfied here by hearing the story of keshava (kR^iShNa). Who will be satisfied by hearing the story of the Lord of gods, hari, viShNu, the one who holds the chakra, enjoying it during the day and night? (Who do not want to hear the story of kR^iShNa day and night?)
puruShArtho.ayamevaiko yatkathAshravaNaM hareH ||3-103-3
The hearing the story of hari (viShNu, kR^iShNa) is considered as the only purpose of life.
kathamAsIjjagaddhetorhaMsasya Dimbhakasya cha |
samitiH sarvabhUtAnAM sadA vismayadAyiNI ||3-103-4
How did the battle between the source of universe (kR^iShNa) and haMsa and Dimbhaka, providing wonder to all beings, take place?
(See Translator's Note (1))
vichakrasya kathaM yuddhaM dAnavasya mahAtmanaH |
sa tayormitratAM yAta ityevamanushushruma ||3-103-5
How did the battle with the great soul, the son of danu, vichakra occur? We have heard that he (vichakra) was a friend of both (haMsa and Dimbhaka).
(See Translator's Note (2))
tau sutau vIryasaMpannau shiShyau bhR^igusutasya ha |
sarvAstrakushalau vIrau harerlabdhavarau kila ||3-103-6
Both of the sons were enriched with valiance and they were disciples of the son of bhR^igu. Both were experts in using all weapons and had obtained boons from hara (shiva).
sa~NgrAmaH sumahAnAsIdityuktaM bhavatA purA |
tayoshcha nR^ipayorvipra keshavasya jagatpateH ||3-103-7
O the best among brahmins! You said before that a great battle had taken place between those kings (haMsa and Dimbhaka) and the Lord of the universe, keshava (kR^iShNa).
kasya putrau samutpannau yathAbhUdvigraho mahAn |
Whose sons are they? How did the great battle occur?
aShTAshItisahasrANi dAnavAnAM tarasvinAm ||3-103-8
balAnyatha vichakrasya shitashUladharANi cha |
Asanyuddhe mahArAja dAnavasya mahAtmanaH ||3-103-9
yadUnAmantaraM prepsuryadUnAM yuddhakA~NkShayA |
O great lord! (vaishampAyana! janamejaya continued: We have heard that) The son of danu, the great soul, vichakra had an army of eighty-eight thousand powerful demon soldiers holding sharp spears, having the desire to fight and create differences among the sons of yadu.
devAsure mahAyuddhe devA~njayati durdharaH |
tadvadhArthaM sadA yatnamakarochchaiva keshavaH ||3-103-10
(We have heard that) The one who is difficult to conquer in the battle (vichakra) conquered the deva-s in the great deva - demon battle. keshava (kR^iShNa) always made efforts to kill him.
iti shrImahAbhArate khileShu harivaMshe bhaviShyaparvaNi haMsaDimbhakopAkhyAne janamejayavAkyetryadhikashatatamo.adhyAyaH
This is the one hundred and third lesson of bhaviShyaparva, harivamsha, khila of mahAbhArata, in the episode of haMsa and Dimbhaka, janamejaya's query to vaishampAyana
Translator's Note (1): After hearing the pauNDraka vAsudeva episode, now janamejaya recalls vaisampAyaya mentioning the deaths of hamsa and Dimbhaka (spelled in BORI CE as Dibhaka) in Sabha Parva of Mahabharata and now wishes to hear that episode in detail.
In Sabha Parva, chapter 14, while motivating yudhiShThira to eliminate jarAsandha, kR^iShNa says:
02013034a bhaye tu samupakrAnte jarAsaMdhe samudyate
02013034c mantro'yaM mantrito rAjan kulairaSTAdashAvaraiH
02013035a anAramanto nighnanto mahAstraiH shataghAtibhiH
02013035c na hanyAma vayaM tasya tribhirvarSazatairbalam
02013036a tasya hyamarasaMkAshau balena balinAM varau
02013036c nAmabhyAM haMsaDibhakAvityAstAM yodhasattamau
02013037a tAvubhau sahitau vIrau jarAsaMdhashcha vIryavAn
02013037c trayastrayANAM lokAnAM paryAptA iti me matiH
02013038a na hi kevalamasmAkaM yAvanto'nye ca pArthivAH
02013038c tathaiva teShAm AsIchcha buddhirbuddhimatAM vara
02013039a atha haMsa iti khyAtaH kashchidAsIn mahAn nR^ipaH
02013039c sa chAnyaiH sahito rAjan saMgrAme'ShTAdashAvaraiH
02013040a hato haMsa iti proktam atha kenApi bhArata
02013040c tachChrutvA Dibhako rAjan yamunAmbhasyamajjata
02013041a vinA haMsena loke'smin nAhaM jIvitumutsahe
02013041c ityetAM matimAsthAya Dibhako nidhanaM gataH
02013042a tathA tu DibhakaM shrutvA haMsaH parapuraMjayaH
02013042c prapede yamunAmeva so'pi tasyAM nyamajjata
Ourselves consisting of the eighteen younger branches of the Yadavas arrived at the conclusion that even if we struck our enemies continually with excellent weapons capable of taking the lives of the foes, we should still be unable to do anything unto him even in three hundred years. He hath two friends that are like unto the immortals, and in point of strength the foremost of all men endued with might. They are called Hansa and Dimvaka who are both incapable of being slain by weapons. The mighty Jarasandha, being united with them, becomes incapable, I think, of being vanquished by even the three worlds. O thou foremost of all intelligent men, this is not our opinion alone but all other kings also are of the same mind. There lived, O monarch, a king of the name of Hansa, who was slain by Rama (Valadeva) after a battle of eighteen days. But, O Bharata, hearing people say that Hansa had been killed, Dimvaka, O king, thought that he could not live without Hansa. He accordingly jumped into the waters of the Yamuna and killed himself. Afterwards when Hansa, the subjugator of hostile heroes, heard that Dimvaka, had killed himself, he went to the Yamuna and jumped into its waters.
(Translation by Kisari Mohan Ganguly)
Translator's Note (2): Recalling what vaishampAyana mentioned in viShNuparva, lesson 115, vAsudevaparAkramavarNanam (vAsudeva's valour),
yadUnAmantaraprepsurvichakro dAnavo hataH
janamejaya also wants to hear in detail the killing of vichakra by kR^iShNa.
    nIlakaNTha commentary
iti shrImahAbhArate khileShu harivaMshe bhaviShyaparvaNi TIkAyAM haMsaDimbakopAkhyAne tryadhikashatatamo.adhyAyaH
##i-translated by G. Schaufelberger, schaufel @ wanadoo.fr January 15 2009
Proof-read by K S Rmachandran, ramachandran_ksr @ yahoo.ca.
If you find any errors compared to Chitrashala Press edition, send corrections to A. Harindranath harindranath_a @ yahoo.com
Translated to English by A. Purushothaman [purushothaman_avaroth @ yahoo.com] and A. Harindranath
1st May 2013 ##